1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to nuclear fusion technology and more particularly to a method and apparatus for the development of usable power using accelerated ion beams or plasmas of deuterium/tritium or the like directed along collision courses whereby the particles in the beams collect in a specified collision area, such as a vacuum firing chamber adapted to sustain a nuclear reaction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Controlled nuclear fusion consists in harnessing the energy released during the combination of very light atomic nucleii to form relatively heavier nucleii. In contrast to nuclear fission power reactors, fusion power reactors require input energy to establish the fuel conditions necessary for appreciable nuclear energy release. Input energy is required in order to heat the fusion fuel to an extremely high termonuclear temperature, e.g. 1.times.10.sup.8 degrees Kelvin (.degree.K) in order to give the positively charged fuel nucleii sufficient energy to overcome their mutual electrostatic repulsion. The fuel and nucleii are formed of an ionized gas or plasma which has a tendency to expand. If useful amounts of energy, however, are to be derived from nuclear fusion, the plasma must be confined at fusion temperatures for an adequate length of time. This fundamental requirement is known as Lawson's Criterion and is a function of the product of fuel density and the confinement time and has been determined to be in the order of 1.times.10.sup.14. This is a condition at which the fusion energy release equals the energy input necessary to heat and confine the plasma. Of all the fusion fuels currently under consideration, the deterium/tritium mixture requires the lowest value of this product as well as the lowest fusion temperature.
Pursuant to the duty to disclose information to the Patent and Trademark Office which is material to the examination of the subject application, the following listing comprises prior art of which the applicant and those who are substantially involved in the preparation and prosecution of the subject application deems pertinent:
(a) Patents:
U.s. pat. No. 2,940,011--A. C. Kolb PA1 U.s. pat. No. 2,992,345--S. Hansen PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,109,801--P. C. Thonemann PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,155,592--S. Hansen, et al. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,346,458--P. Schmidt PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,361,634--L. D. Smullin PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,652,393--Kaiser PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,679,897--D. Hansen, et al. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,755,073--A. Haugt, et al. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,762,992--J. Hedstrom PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,766,004--T. Roberts, et al. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,779,864--P. Kaw et al. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,808,550--A. Ashkin PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,898,587--W. Brinkman, Jr., et al. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,935,504--P. Guillaneux, et al. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,955,153--G. Marie PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,967,215--J. Bellak PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,995,136--A. Steiger, et al.
(b) Publications:
Plasmas and Controlled Fusion, David J. Rose, et al., the MIT Press, 1961, pages 403-409; "The Great Nuclear Fusion Race", Time, June 6, 1977, pages 80-81; "Nuclear Fusion: Focus on Tokamak", D. Steiner, IEEE Spectrum, July, 1977, pages 32-38.
All of the prior art technology known today has attempted but apparently have not successfully succeeded in providing the proper combination of confinement time, temperature and plasma density necessary to sustain fusion. In an effort to satisfy Lawson's Criterian two separate techniques have generally evolved, one being magnetic containment, while the other is laser or electron beam bombardment. Magnetic confinement schemes fall into two types, the open or "mirror" type configuration wherein magnetic field lines contain the plasma within an axial path, between reflecting end regions and the closed configuration wherein field lines are contained in a torroidal volume and plasma is adapted to travel in a circular path. Both steady state and pulsed reactor systems are envisioned utilizing the concept of magnetic confinement. Confinement known as the "beta pinch" effect has also been experimented with. As to laser induced fusion, the approach is to uniformly radiate a small spherical fuel pellet with focused laser light so as to heat and compress the fuel to a high density for a short confinement time in contrast to magnetic confinement systems where low densities and long confinement times are the factors emphasized. All of the various prior art techniques, per se, have inherent limitation however. It is to these shortcomings that the present invention is directed and which discloses a hybrid system whereby the necessary combination of confinement time temperature and plasma density necessary to sustain fusion is achieved.